Tourism ‘shocked’ Falls left off reopen list
Mayor says many local businesses risk shutting down permanently if they don’t start up soon
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati says the government’s decision to exclude Niagara from moving into Stage 2 of reopening “makes no sense.”
“How is it you can allow 400 people safely into Walmart but you cannot have 35 people on a patio bar? How is it we can have 3,000 people in a demonstration but I can’t have more than five people in my backyard.
“It makes no sense, there’s no justification.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday announced COVID-19 restrictions will be eased in some areas starting Friday as the province enters the second stage of its economic recovery plan. Niagara did not make the list.
Diodati said the longer Niagara remains in lockdown, the less likely the tourism industry will be able to fully recover.
“We’ve had businesses throughout the community who have already used up their lines of credit and cashed in their savings and RSPs,” he said.
“I’ve had grown men crying on the phone to me saying they don’t know what they’re going to do.”
Diodati and various industry stakeholders held a Zoom meeting with Tourism Minister Lisa MacLeod Tuesday to voice their concerns.
“We’re strongly advocating that Niagara Falls has to open immediately, it’s paramount to our future. We have tens of thousands of people who need their businesses to open so they can put food on their tables. They need to either open or they need significant injection of funds from other levels of government. There is no more time to screw around.”
Once the province adds Niagara Falls to its list of communities allowed to reopen, Diodati said it will likely take up to two weeks before the industry is able to fully accommodate crowds of visitors.
“Food has to be ordered, staff has to be called in and trained. Otherwise, it will be a negative visitor experience and that is as bad as not being open.”
Joel Noden, director of marketing at HOCO Entertainment Ltd. and chairman of the Niagara Falls Tourism board, said he was “shocked” when he heard Niagara Falls was left of the list.
He said stakeholders in the tourism sector have been working on a reopening strategy since March 15, days after the province ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
He said tourism operators have implemented new cleaning and social distancing protocols that meet or exceed current provincial guidelines.
“We are ready as an industry,” he said. “We’re ready to open everything.”
David Adames, chief executive officer of Niagara Parks, agreed.
“Niagara Parks, and the majority of tourism operators in Niagara Falls, are very experienced operators and we entirely understand the need for health and safety for both staff and visitors.”
The parks commission has implemented a “comprehensive” plan to ensure public safety at its recently opened Legends on the Niagara and Whirlpool golf courses.
“We had a public health inspector at Legends and the inspector was very impressed with the measures we have taken,” Adames said.
A poll conducted last week by members of Niagara Falls Tourism indicated 95 per cent of businesses in the industry are prepared to welcome back visitors.
“They’ve implemented all the safety guidelines and all new procedures and they’re ready to go,” said Niagara Falls Tourism president Janice Thomson.
The tourism agency is waiting for that elusive green light from the province before launching its Safe to Play campaign.
The first phase of the campaign will be geared towards attracting visitors from within a four-hour drive in Ontario. Phase 2 will move out “slowly” into other areas of the country.
During a news conference Monday, the premier announced the province has opted for a regional approach to reopening, based on a proposal from medical officers of health that urged using a series of data-based markers to decide if a community can ease restrictions or take a step backwards.
It is not clear what metrics the provincial government is using to decide which communities can reopen.